Matt from England

http://cgi.ebay.de/KLIPSCH-CHORUS-mit-HORN-VINTAGE-LEGEND-sehr-SCHON_W0QQitemZ7557219301QQcategoryZ23323QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem No affiliation to seller. Some points I've noted, having recently bought my own (chorus II not I's): One of the dust caps looks to have been pushed in then popped out on the right speaker. One of the nameplates is missing from the grill. On the back view one looks to be missing the binding posts - nasty looking croc clips, possibly a rewire? I was so lucky with mine, bought unseen, but these? Risky? You all know better than I. Take care, Matt

Welcome both of you: there is something special about this forum: for halfwits like me the information is most excellent and I appreciate all the advice posted. Helps that Klipsch keep checking up on us as well. Matt

Actually Robert I've squeezed my listening room into a pair of Chorus II... Seriously, my lounge, listening area, child playroom and office must be 10' x 16' and they are approx 7' apart - I sit 8' from them. No it's not ideal and they don't sound perfect but when they came up for sale I had to buy them for they never come on the 2nd hand market here in Portugal, in fact other than mind I believe there are no more here - anybody know different? My wife hates how they look, (black) their size and the floor space they consume, especially when toed in towards my listening postioning. But I'll be buying a bigger house one day - unfortunately most appartments have small sized rooms. It's no point me worrying too much regarding positioning at the moment - but I love them anyway. Esp with the SET Unison Research simply 4 and Linn LP12. Actually a friend in NYC also running a Linn and Bottlehead amps has just bought a pair of Forte 1s after listening to my reccomendations: by all accounts he loves his too. Hope to see him in here soon... Matt

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Klipsch-La-Scala-Speakers-in-Exceptional-Condition_W0QQitemZ5812947973QQcategoryZ61378QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Not associated with the seller in anyway. I think shipping would be a tad high to Portugal and my wife I think would have a fit after I bought the Chorus IIs!

Linn LP12 Lingo LVIIIs Dynavector DV17 Mk II Cartridge Dynavector P75 Phono stage Unison Research Simply Four Triode Valve amp - NOS Philips ECC82s / EI 6CA7s Rotel RCD 951 Klipsch Chorus IIs black. Various home made I/Cs and Speaker cable using copper magnet wire. I'm done at last: time to put my feet up and enjoy the music. Cheers. Ah, but can always find room for more lps.

Anyone recall what the original list price was for the Chorus II? The guy that I purchased them from said he bought them new Stateside in 90. Also can anyone provide a link to original brouchures or advertising material for the Chorus I / II? Thanks in advance. Matt

That's a very good start! Apologies if you have said before but what is your TT? Believe me you won't be content with just that. Collecting vinyl soon becomes an addiction, esp if your tastes revolves around classical. Bargains still abound on Ebay - I bought 500 classical albums in one lot from England for 36 UK pounds - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4757745764&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT Have fun, the Linn has never sounded as good as it does through the Klipsch. Matt

They cost me five hundred quid. (740 euros +/-) No shipping - he delivered them. I was looking at forking out up to a thousand pounds on a new pair of speakers, (not Klipsch, owing a pair was some kind of lustful fancy) so the way I see it I save myself five hundred quid and got myself an awesome set of speakers. I could have paid five times their purchase price and not go something anywhere near as good or as suited for my amp. Or I could have gone DIY and had bits of speaker lying round the house unfinished for months...

Shall we just say that those are the ones sitting in my lounge right now... I wasn't the one selling them but just happened to come to an arrangement with him. My apologies to anyone bidding on those but they were destined for me. I probably paid over their worth, esp reading through the archives here but I'd have more chance of finding gold panning in my toilet bowl than finding another pair in Portugal! Actually the guy selling them was American of Portuguese parentage - he'd never assumed that someone in Portugal would want them / even know what they were. How wrong he was... There were a few scuffs on one cabinet and a slight dent in the PR of one approx 2cm in length - in the area of the concertina part. (Sorry, words fail me...) Though I think I'm right in not worrying too much, it shouldn't affect sound right? I'll be taking some photos soon and uploading them. If anyone is interested using home made cable with 20 gauge magnet wire of about 2 meters each side. Equally spaced. Magnet wire seems to be very high quality copper covered in a thin insulation paint that must be sanded off to establish electrical contact. It gives really sparkling highs with harshness and smooth smooth mids. Bass is tight and very defined as well. I think I'm making sense - not so good with the jargon. I'd put it up against any high $ cable: I've a/b'd it against some QED XT400 which I have, silvercoated copper spiral about 20 UK pounds a meter - and it beats it. Cost? 5 cents (european) a meter. I bought 100 metres for 5 euros. Excellent synergy between the triode Unison and Klipsch. Anyway I hope that by my slightly underhand negotiations I have not caused any offence and that I am still welcome... Matt

I know I'm new in here so I hope it's okay to ask Q's. I'm coming over the water to New York between the 19th and 26th September staying just off Broadway. As well as squeezing in a Yankees game Tuesday night, a morning with the NY Philharmonic on Thursday (Lorin Maazel, Conductor, Lang Lang, Piano: Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 Mahler: Symphony No. 1 - Rehearsal for this evenings New York Philharmonic concert.) and a show that same night I was wondering if there is a dealership in Manhattan that I could pay a visit to, pick up some sales literature and finally demo the K Horn, (not that I can afford the $ to buy or ship). Maybe spend an hour or two listening and getting to know the whole line. BTW thanks everyone who said hello, lots of things in there that I must respond to. But for now the only thing I can say, as I have to a friend on occasion is that my Klipsch Chorus breathe music not spit it out like some higher dollar brands, and of course cheaper. I wouldn't want anything else, accept maybe a dedicated listening room. Then I wouldn't have to listen to my wife complaining how big black and "F-ugly" they are. Cheers from a very happy, if not somewhat lonely Klipsch owner in Portugal! If anybody wishes please feel free to email me - I'd like to hear from you. Matt

Okay, Saturday is family day, and I was up most of the night just listening. Actually that's what's great about the klipsch and the Triode amp I have: even at very low listening levels (live in an appartment) there is still the high retreival of detail just a slightly lesser presence in the room. I didn't expect such a warm response, thankyou. Anyway, thankyou all for your welcome: it looks like I'll feel right at home in here. There is a list of interested listeners waiting to swing by and listen to the Klipsch's but with family commitments and a joint lounge listening area and home working environment it is difficult to arrange quality time when levels can be pushed a bit. My system is certainly not of the norm here. There is a small hi end scene in Lisbon (not that I would consider my set up high end, nor do I think of myself as an audiophile) and likewise a dedicated band of vinyl afficianados. But to be honest I'm not into all these meetings where it seems more often than not more time is devoted to discussing the equipment and positioning and leads etc than listening to the music. Someone asked about the normal hifi gear in most houses - well, it's certainly not TTs and valves that's for sure. Most people go to the local electrical superstores and buy something off the shelf, midi systems etc. My system has actually evolved over a period of time and things fall into my lap: the amp came from England 2nd hand for which I paid 500 pounds. (I think it's last RRP in £ was 2000). The Linn was the personal turntable of Luis Pires from the manufacturer Benz (actually the designer of the Benz LP cart). He is the distributor here in Portugal for Basis TTs and had the old Linn mothballed for about 5 years. I paid him 400 pounds which included the Lingo PSU Ittok LVIIIs arm and Tramplinn baseboard (which I'm not totally conviced by). Before the Linn I had rebuilt and restored an old Thorens TD 150 installing a NOS SME 3009 II imp. Luckily I know the distributor for Dynavector so the cart and phono stage came from him. Now the speakers: I am the second owner buying them from a guy who purchased them brand new in 91 in the states - he imported them to Portugal in 92 and has had them in storage for most of the time since. He actually never liked the sound of them but had used them with solid state (Adcom (?) and Naim). When he left the speakers with me (having exchanged 500 pounds) he almost changed his mind hearing them with my amp and wanted to make me an offer to buy the amp and speakers. The cabinets are not mint but almost so, a few scratches and scuffs but the 'hardware' seems perfect. I am a bit limited with room size and my wife isn't a fan of their looks but a chance like this doesn't come up that often at all - he said to the best of his knowledge they were the only pair in Portugal. Apparantly Klispch have no presence here or if so the distributor only sells pro media and not much of that - when he contacted them they had never even seen a Chorus - least that's what he said. Thus it was my luck and kismet that they were to become mine - a week before purchasing (not knowing anything about these ones) I had been looking to perhaps buy from abroad and import a pair, Cornwalls, or La Scalas. But that would have meant high $ purchase shipping and import duties. My wife is Portuguese, I've lived here since 97 and enjoy the weather the wine the food and music. Sorry for the long post, hope I haven't bored you to tears; if I don't stop now I'll keep rambling on forever. Look foward to being a part of this great Klipsch community. Matt

My system: Linn LP12 Dynavector 17D Mk II Dynavector P75 Phonostage Unison Research Simply Four Valve amplifier (set to Triode mode) running 4 x 6CA7s in place of normal EL34s (Old and barely used Rotel RCD 951 CDP) Klipsch Chorus II in black And most importantly a damn big grin every time I fire her up... Guess I must be one of the very few owners, (if not the only one) of the Chorus (I or II) living in Portugal. Great info here and I have spent a good time lurking but finally registered tonight. Music tastes consist of Jazz, Classical for 80 % of the time, the rest whatever I dig from the pile. Anyway, hope I'm welcome. Matt from England (now living in Portugal).